Electrical apparatus



Jan. 9, 1934. J. Q. GAUBERT ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 26, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JOHN Q. GA UBERZ' Y A M MWWF/U {AQATTORNEYS1934- J. O. GAUBERT 1,942,951

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JED/4N0. 611405527.-

' ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES ELECTRICAL APPARATUSJohn Q. Gaubert, Dayton, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to RadioCorporation of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of DelawareApplication November 26, 1930 Serial No. 498,340

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a radio receiver and in more particular to thecontrol mechanism for the adjustable parts therein.

An object of this invention is to provide a plurality of indicatorsmounted so that they may be seen through the open work of an escutcheonplate. This has been accomplished by mounting a plurality of dials on acommon shaft one of which may indicate the selected signal and anotherthe relative attenuation of the selected signal.

Another object of this invention is to construct a control mechanismthat is easily constructed, accurate, and low in cost.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary front elevation of a radio panel.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the station selector scale and the volumecontrol indicator as seen with the panel removed.

.Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on'the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2showing the manual driving mechanism for the volume control.

' Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the free end of a rotor shaft12 cooperating with a tuning device carries an adjustable collar 14which is secured thereto by a set screw 16. A reduced portion 15 of thecollar 14 receives a driving disc member 18 that is held in a relativelyfixed position by riveting or spinning the reduced end 15 of the collar14. An opening 20 of suitable form in the disc 18 is partially coveredwith a translucent member 21 illuminated from a source of light such asan electric bulb 22. The translucent member 21 is secured to the member18 by rivets 24 or in any other suitable manner. The translucent member21 is provided with a scale or indicia representing the signal by itswave length, its frequency or in any other manner.

An escutcheon plate 26 carried by a panel 28 has an open work 30 thatincludes a pair of windows 32 and 34. The pointers or indicants 36located in the wall of the window 32 cooperate with the indica 23 toindicate the particular selected signal. From this description it canreadily be seen that the setting of the tuning elements such ascondensers may be observed from the outside of the panel although allthe movable parts excepting the control knobs are located wholly withinthe cabinet.

A knob 36 of suitable moulding material such as bakelite or the like issecured to a manually operated shaft 38 which is journalled in thebearings 40 and 42, provided by the chassis 44. The thrust in eitherdirection is taken up by a punched out tongue 46 of the chassis, whichprojects into an annular groove 48 of the shaft 38.

An adjustable collar 50 is secured to the shaft 38 by a set screw 52. Apair of clamping discs 54 and 56 of flexible material such as sheetbrass or the like are received by a reduced portion 58 of the adjustablecollar 50 and riveted or otherwise secured thereto. These clamping discsengage the periphery of the disc like member 18 tight enough from bothsides so as to drive this member 18 whenever initiated by the manuallyoperated clamping discs 54 and 56.

A collar 60 is loosely mounted upon the rotor shaft 12 and preventedfrom sliding in one axial direction only, by a C-washer 62 which fits inan annular groove 64 of the shaft 12. A sector like member 66 of anysuitable material with great frictional resistance is received by areduced portion 68 of the collar 60 and riveted or otherwise securedthereto. A semi-circular sector '70 of any suitable translucent materialsuch as celluloid or the like is secured to the member 66 by rivets I2or in any other suitable manner. The two indicia 67, Bass and Treble arevisibly marked on the sector like translucent member '70. The light ofthe bulb 22 also passes through'the translucent member '70, thusilluminating the indications thereon. These indicia, Bass and Treble,are arranged at the same radial distance from the center of thesupporting shaft 12 which is also their center of motion, and at such adistance from this center that they appear in the middle of the window34 whenever manually moved behind this window. A pair of pointers orindicants 57 point to the indicia found on the translucent member '70.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, another 100 knob 74 of the samematerial as the knob 36 is secured by a set screw (not shown) or in anyother suitable manner to one end of a manually operated shaft '76,connected to a suitable device for changing the relative attenuations ofthe 105 selected signal, as fully disclosed and claimed in a copendingapplication to Homer J. Loftis, Serial No. 428,374, filed February 14,1930. This shaft '76 is journalled in a tubular bearing '78 which issecured to the rheostat housing 80 or the like in 110 any suitablemanner. The housing 89 in turn is supported by a projection or struckout ear 84 of the chassis 44 and secured thereto by another nut 87 whichcooperates with the nut 82.

An adjustable collar 88 is secured to the shaft '76 by a set screw 99. Apair of clamping, driving discs 92 and 94 of flexible material such assheet brass or the like are received by a reduced portion 96 of thecollar 88 and riveted or otherwise secured thereto. These clamping discs92 and 94 engage the periphery of the sector like member 66 from bothsides so that this member 66 is driven, whenever initiated by themanually operated driving discs 92 and 94.

As the driving discs 92 and 94 are always in engagement with theperiphery of the member 66, it is obvious that these discs prevent themember 66 and its supporting collar 60 from endwise sliding upon therotor shaft 12 It can be readily seen that as the knob '14 is rotated soas to change the relative attenuation of the incoming selected signal,that the indicia 67 are caused to move along the indicants 5'7 so as tovisually indicate the relative attenuation or the quality of the toneoutput of the receiver.

Another knob 98 is in any suitable manner fastened to a rheostat shaft100 of a second rheostat. The shaft 100 is journalled in a tubularbearing 102 which is secured to the rheostat housing 104 in the samemanner as the tubular bearing 78. The rheostat itself is also supportedby a struck out ear 106 of the chassis 44 and secured thereto by nuts108.

This second knob 98 is symmetrically arranged with the knob '74.

In the modification disclosed, as best seen by referring to Fig. 3, agang condenser 110 is shown in a cradle 112. It is to be understood thatany type of a gang condenser instead of the preferred one, or any othertuning element such as variometers, could be used as it does not formpart of my invention. Further description of the condenser is thereforedeemed unnecessary.

While the form of embodiment of the visible control means, as disclos d,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that certaindeviations therefrom can be instituted which are within the nature of myinvention.

Instead of arranging the station selector scale variably as preferred, Icould arrange this scale on the translucent segmental ring stationary inany suitable manner and have an indicant fastened to the driven member18. This variable indicant then would have to be adjusted to any desiredwave length of the stationary selector scale.

A similar arrangement could be provided for causing a relative movementbetween the indicia and the indicant that indicates the relativeattenuation of the selected signal.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as hereindisclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood thatother forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A control mechanism for a radio instrument said instrument beingprovided with an escutcheon plate having a pair of windows, comprisingin combination, a shaft, a dial having indicia, said dial being fixedlyattached to said shaft for indicating the setting thereof, said indiciabeing aligned wth one of said win ows, a second shaft eccentric to thefirst shaft, a plate carrying a second dial having indicia forindicating the adjustment of said second shaft, said second dial beingrotatably mounted on said first shaft and in front of said first nameddial and the indicia on said second dial being aligned with the otherwindow in said escutcheon plate so that both of said dials are visiblyindicated in relatively close association through said windows andflexible means carried by said second named shaft and in front of theplane of said first named dial for frictionally engaging said plate tocause r0- tation thereof upon rotation of said second shaft.

2. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, a dial having atranslucent portion marked with indicia for indicating the selectedsignal, a source of light mounted behind said dial, a second dial havingindicia for indicating the relative attenuation of said receiver, saiddials being concentrically mounted, and a pair of indicators alignedradially with the axis of dials and cooperating with said indicia forindicating the selected signal and the relative attenuation.

3. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, an open work escutcheonplate having a pair of windows radially spaced from a common center, adial having indicia, and a cut out or open portion, an indicantcooperating with said indicia, means for causing a relative movementbetween the indicia and the indicant for indicating the selected signal,a second dial mounted in front of said first named dial and havingindicia in front of said open portion, a second indicant cooperatingwith the second indicia, means for causing a relative movement betweenthe second indicia and its indicant so as to indicate the relativeattenuation of the receiver, and means locating the movement causingmeans concentric with the said common center, each of said indicia beingaligned each with a window in said escutcheon plate whereby theindicated selected signal and the indicated attenuation may be seenthrough said windows.

4. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, an open work escutcheonplate, a dial having indicia graduated for indicating selected signals,an indicant cooperating with said indicia, means for causing a relativemovement between the indicant and the dial, said relative movement beingresponsive with the adjustment of the tuning elements on the radioreceiver, a second dial having indicia concentric with the indicia ofsaid first dial for indicating the relative attenuation of the receiver,a second indicant cooperating with said second dial, means for causing arelative movement between the second dial and its indicant forregistering a change in attenuation, means mounting said movementcausing means on a common axis, and a source of light for illuminatingeach of said dials, the dials, the indicants and the source of lightbeing so arranged that the selected signal and the relative attenuationmay be seen through the open work in said escutcheon plate.

5. In a control mechanism for a radio receiver, a disc, said disc havinga translucent sector carrying indicia, a second disc having a 6. In acontrol mechanism for a radio receiver according to claim 5 in which thedisc carrying the circumscribed indicia is provided with a slot adjacentto the inscribed indicia, said slot permitting said source of light toilluminate the last indicia.

'7. In combination in a control mechanism, a device to be adjusted, adisc connected to said device, said disc having indicia marks and anopen portion, a second disc mounted parallel to said first named discand in front thereof, said second disc having a, translucent portionmarked with indicia, means for passing a beam of light through the openportion of said first named disc onto the indicia of said second discand sep- JOHN Q. GAUBERT.

